Jef Combdon on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Last week, I had the privilege to speak about Truth and Reconciliation at the AdClub of Toronto’s Out-of-Home Day event. I can’t say for sure, but it may have been the first time that those two words were a part of the agenda for any Advertising and Marketing event in Canada.

The format for the talk itself was more of a topline fireside chat between Amanda Newell, the President of the AdClub, and myself. With National Truth and Reconciliation Day approaching and it being over eight years since the Truth and Reconciliation Commission issued the 94 Calls to Action, we both thought that it would be great to inject the topic into the day's event, to get T&R back on the radar for Canada’s Advertising and Marketing industry. We discussed why every business in Canada has an obligation to further T&R, the importance of not bundling T&R with other DEI initiatives, and how a business or ad agency can get started on the pathway to Truth and Reconciliation.

Being a 30-year member of the Canadian Advertising and Marketing industry, I believe that every one of us can be a beacon of change. Every person in attendance last week and the thousands of others who work alongside us, from all disciplines of marketing and advertising, have a unique power and privilege through the work that we do. As an industry, we have the power to shape culture and change behaviour; we do it every day for various products and services that we market, and Canada is in dire need of a culture change when it comes to Truth and Reconciliation.

To date, progress on the 94 Calls to Action issued by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission is moving at a glacial pace, with only 13 of the 94 being complete. While many Canadians and Canadian businesses are empathetic towards those who were forced to attend residential and day schools, Truth and Reconciliation has become a one-day blip on the calendar, not generating very much dedicated attention throughout the year. The current narrative in Corporate Canada is more focused on DEI. While it is extremely important for us all that we ensure our workplaces and public spaces reflect our diverse population, becoming inclusive and equitable for all, including the Indigenous people, DEI is not Truth and Reconciliation. It is important that we differentiate the two.

The question for the Marketing and Advertising industry in Canada is how can we use our influence to shake the 364-day-a-year apathy towards T&R? While Call to Action #92 in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action is directed at businesses in Canada, to give the attendees and the industry something tangible to get started on, I issued my own calls to action:

1. Observe the holiday. A common concern that I’ve read and heard since the federal holiday was first announced in 2020 is that businesses in Canada cannot afford another holiday. It’s a shame that lost productivity is taking precedence over all that was lost by the Indigenous people of Canada. Economics, let's call it greed, was a key reason for Canada’s dark colonial past and present. By giving your team the day off, with guidance on how to best observe it, it’s a great way for a company to demonstrate that you are above the money and that you support Indigenous people in Canada. Also, businesses should not be looking myopically at the production level of one day. The personal and professional enrichment your team will receive by engaging with Indigenous communities and culture, and thus better understanding the truth about Canada’s past, will far outweigh any perceived losses.
2. Truth and Reconciliation is not just one day. It’s every day. It’s an ongoing journey of change and support, just like DEI is. As we are developing our own corporate DEI strategies, we all need to develop a dedicated T&R strategy. Whether it's empowering an individual or a committee, businesses in Canada should prioritize T&R and develop a plan to address the 92nd Call to Action in an ongoing and progressive manner that generates tangible results for Indigenous communities and groups in Canada. A key thing for every company setting out on this journey is to engage Indigenous communities or groups before developing the final plan. Find mutual alignment and understand how or where your company (or the brand) can help. For some, it could be as simple as economic reconciliation by supporting Indigenous charities. For others, it could be a fully blown partnership program that takes shape as an ongoing campaign.
3. As an industry, we are in the position to ask difficult questions. We do so every time that we sit down with our clients and agree upon a brief. So, while we should be making changes within our own organizations, let’s start asking our clients and partners what their Truth and Reconciliation strategy is and how we, as partners or suppliers, can help. Conversations today become the actions of tomorrow. Let’s have them.
4. To show that the Advertising and Marketing industry is engaged with T&R and to reward those companies and brands who are making great strides, we need to add a Truth and Reconciliation category to all our major industry award shows. This, on my list of calls to action, is directed at the folks at Brunico Communications, the Canadian Marketing Association, and the Institute of Canadian Agencies. Not only should you create a specific category for T&R, but you also need to have the work judged by an Indigenous jury.
5. And finally, there are a lot of burning social issues in society today. Let’s not forget that many Indigenous people and communities are hit hard by these, in addition to struggling to overcome their own unique issues brought on by colonialism and the impact of Canada’s residential and day schools. Your support is needed.

Wela’lioq. Thank you.

About the Author:

Jef Combdon is a Mi’kmaw advertising professional, working for Target Marketing and Communications Inc. in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffery-combdon/